According to a Reuters article, Microsoft Corp will slash the price of its Xbox 360 game console in Japan by about 30 percent. This will make the Xbox 360 cheaper than the Nintendo Wii and Sony Corp's PlayStation 3.

Microsoft will lower the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade model by 8,000 yen ($73.92) to 19,800 yen. The Arcade model does not come equipped with a hard drive and is the least expensive of the three Xbox 360 models.

The new price will make that model cheaper than the Nintendo Wii which sells for about 25,000 yen, and the PlayStation 3, which sells for 39,800 yen. Microsoft will also reduce the price of two higher models with hard drives by 5,000-8,000 yen, according to the Reuters article. The price cut will take effect on September 11.

The Xbox 360 has struggled in the Japanese market, with 684,695 units sold so far in Japan against the Wii's 6.67 million and PS3's 2.32 million, according to game magazine publisher Enterbrain.

Microsoft’s fortunes have begun to change recently with the Xbox 360 outselling the PS3 in Japan in weekly sales for the week ended August 10. The boost in sales was attributed to the Xbox 360 exclusive "Tales of Vesperia" role-playing game from Namco Bandai

Microsoft recently cut the price of its best-selling Xbox 360 Pro model game console with a 20 gigabyte hard drive to $299 from $349 in the United States.

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